Lint screen and assembly for clothes driers



Feb. 6, 1951 P. E. GELDHOF 2,540,725

LINT SCREEN AND ASSEMBLY FOR CLOTHES DRIERS Feb. 6, 1951 P. E. GELDHOF LINT SCREEN AND ASSEMBLY FOR CLOTHES DRIERS 3 Sheets-Sham 2 Filed May 23, 1946 INVENTOR. Pefer Eduard feld/# BY M Feb. 6, 1951 v P. E. GELDHOF 2,540,725

LINT SCREEN AND ASSEMBLY FOR CLOTHES DRIERS Filed May 23, 1946 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 fz INVEN TUR.

f3 Pclber' Edna rd'eldd Patented Feb. 6, 1951 UNITED STATES .PATENT-crnes Application-May 23, 1946, Serial No. 871,844 A claims.

This invention relates to a lint screen and assembly forclothes driers, and more particularly to a novel door structure and lint catcher for clothes driers of the so-called "household appliance" type.

One type of clothes drier which has been developed for the household appliance ield includes a drum mounted for rotation about a horizontal axis within a generally rectangular housing. Air is taken` into the housing, heated, and circulated through the rotating drum from one end to the other and then out through the closed door in the front of the housing. The closed door is suitably provided with louvers to permit the passage of air through the door and in addition a screen is interposed in the path of the air movement to catch lint or other foreign material thrown oil from the clothes or other ar- `ticles being dried as they tumble about within clothes driers and the like.

Still another and further object of the present invention is to provide a novel clothes drier structure with a quickly removable lint catcher.

The novel features which I believe to be characteristic of my invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. My invention in itself. however, both as to its organization and manner of construction, together with further objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is a side elevational view of a clothes drier embodying the novel features and principes of the present invention with portions of the cabinet wall broken away and with other portions in section;

Figure 2 is an enlarged fragmentary rear view of the door structure as taken along the line II-II of Figure 1, certain portions of the rear panel of the door being broken away to show structure therebehind;

v(ci. u-sz) Figure 3 is an enlarged horizontal sectional 66 a 2 view ,of the door structure as taken along lin III-III of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a sectional lview through the door` as taken along the line IV--IV of Figure 2 but with the lint catcher or screen in partially re- .,moved position; and

Figure 5 is an isometric view of the exterior of the clothes drier shown in the preceding flgures.

'I'he clothes drier ID as shown in the various :figures of the drawing includes a cabinet having front and rear panel portions II and I2 as well as side panel portions I3 and a top I4. The rear panel portion I2 contains a plurality of apertures |2a through which air is drawn into the drier. As shown in Figure 5 the front panel portion II includes a recessed portion I5 which in effect is a foot recess enabling a person to stand closer to the clothes drier when desired, as well as providing an ornamental appearance for the cabinet IU. A door IB is mounted in the front wall il and when'opened permits access to the interior oi' the cabinet for the purpose of inserting and removing clothes as well as to permit removal oi' the lint catching means presently to be described.

Mounted within the cabinet IU is a clothes receiving drinn I1. The particular physical construction of the drum I1 forms no part of the present invention but may conveniently be an imperforate drum around its cylindrical and peripheral surface but havingr air passageways at each end thereof. More particularly the drum I1 may include a front wall portion I8 having an outturned lip I9 which nestswithin an inturnedA A heating and liange 2li of the housing ID. blowing unit is shown generally at 2 I The drum is mounted on a shaft 22 and is driven by a drive wheel 23 through the belt drive 24 and the Y belt drive 25 from the motor 26. The belt drive 25 extends over a motor pulley 21, an idler pulley 28, and a fan pulley 29, the fan pulley 29 being arranged to drive a fan (not shown) within the heating and air circulating means 2|. The idler wheel 2B is directly connected to a second idler wheel 3l mounted on the same idler shaft 3| so that when the idler wheel 28 is rotated the idler wheel 3l) is also rotated to drive the drum. The assembly of the drum l1 and the heating and blowing means 2| is carried on a pedestal 3| which is located behind the motor as viewed in Figure 1 but centrally of the cabinet IU.

The opening in the cabinet III in `which the door I 8 is mounted is dened by an inturned flange which includes a ange portion 32 which extends v .3 rearwardly. a flange portion Il which extends generally parallel to thefront face Il of the cabinet It and the rearwardly extending flange portion 2l previously referred to which nests with the flange portion'l! on the drum l1. The ange portion l2 defines a rectangular opening into which the door IB may be disposed. The inner flange portion 20, however, is circular and concentric with the axis ofvrotation of the drum I1.

The door II includes a front panel portion 34 having a' louve'r arrangement l5 ,wherein a plurality of bosses ll are welded or otherwise suitably secured to the rear face of the panel 34. As shown in Figure 2 of the drawingsthese bosses are eight in number although any number may of course beemployed. The bosses 3S as shown in Figure 4 are tapped and arranged to receive bolts l1 for the purpose of `mounting the rear panel unit Il in spaced relation on ther front panel unit 34. The rear panel unit!!! includes a circular perforated central portion 39, a circular axially extending flange 40 and an outer flange 4I. The openings in the rear plate portion 89 are relatively large so that air passes freely therethrough as well as freely through the louvers l5 in the front panel portion 34.

A lint catching screen member 42 is arranged tobe mounted in the chamber lying between the perforated rear panel 39 and the louvered front panel 34. To this end a slot 43 is provided Vin the flange portion 4l) throughout the entire top half thereof. In other words the slot 43 extends substantially 180 degrees around the flange portion 40 and terminates at either end at 44. The screen member 42 isof a diameter slightly less than the diameter of the flange portion 40'and for that reason may be dropped through the slot 43 into the chamber or compartment 45 which lies between the rear panel 39 and the front panel I4.

The screen member 42 may be conveniently reinforced at its peripheral edge by any suitable banding 46, it being borne in mind however that the entire overall diameter of the screen member including the banding 48 is less than the diameter of the flange portion 4Ii. This screen 42 is mounted in an arcuate member 41 which extends substantially half way around the screen member 42. The arcuate member 41 is preferably made suillciently heavy so as to be substantially rigid and includes shoulder portions 48 'and 49 which are arranged to be seated on the lips in and 5I dening the opposite sides of the slot 43. It will thus be apparent that the screen memberwhich is preferably permanently and rigidly mounted in the arcuate member 41 is supported by means of the arcuate member 41.

One-or more spring clips 52 may be employed if'desired-to snugly receive the lower edge of the screen 42 when it is dropped into place. As,l shown in Figure 4 of the drawing. the spring clip 52 includes a leg portion Il and a V-shaped screen receiving flexible end B4. j

The material forming the screen 421s of suftlciently nne gauge or mesh so that lint is separated out of the air in passing therethrough.`

It will thus be apparent that the` lint in the air will be collected on the screen 42 and may be quickly and easily removed 4therefrom by simply anomali i 4 The manner in which andlatchedinplacemaybeseenbestfroman inspection of Figures 2 and 3 of the drawings- More particularly, the door Il iscarried lon a pair of hinge members Il. hinge members l5 include an arm Il which iaweld'ed or otherwise suitably secured to the rear face of the front panel 34 and a second hinge member 51 which ate slot 58 which is arranged to receive a pin `l! swinging the door Il open and lifting out the arcuate member 41 with the Ascreen .42 depending therefrom. The screen may then be brushed clean, washed or the like.

carried on the hinge member 5I. the arcuate slot 58 and its cooperating pin il being arranged to limit the outward movement of the door Il.

The door is latched in place by a latch bolt il which engages with a recessed lip portion Si on the side edge of the door Il opposite to the hinges El. The latch bolt 60 is mounted in a latch frame i '62 and is spring biased by means of acoil spring B3 to its normally latched position.V The latch A frame 62 carries a cam linger 84 which is pivotally mounted thereon as at 6l.- This cam nger 64 is arranged to bear against a pin 66 on the latch vbolt B0 and retract the latch bolt from its latching position when it is moved in a 'clockwise direction, asfviewed in Figure 3 of the drawing, by the push button 81.

From the foregoing description it will be apparent that when the push-button 81 is depressed it forces the linger against the pin 8B to move the'latch bolt 60 against the action of the biasing spring 63 out of its latching position with the lip il on the door i6. The latch'bolt 80 has -a beveled front surface 68 whichlenables the door II to be snapped into latched position.

By locating the upper hingepin 10 slightly forwardly from the lower hinge pin 69, the door I8 ls biased by gravity to its open position. It will, f

therefore, be apparent that by simply depressing the push button 61, the door I6 will swing open. This is a great convenience for someone using the machine who approaches it with Aan armful of clothes.

'While' I have shown a particular embodiment of my invention, it will, of course,`be understood that I do not wish to be limitedthereto, sine! many modications maybe made and Lthel'efore, contemplate by the appended claims. L" all such modifications as fall withi spirit and scope of my invention.

Iclaim asmy invention: f v

l. In an article handling device, a housing having air inlet openings `at oneend, an article containing drum mounted for rotation within said housing for rotation on a horizontal axis, said drum having an open end through which articles may be placed in'said drum and removed-therefrom, means for rotating said drum, and a door disposed on said housing opposite said open end of said drum, said door having inner and outer panel portions spaced from each other, said panel portions each having openings therein through which air may pass, aA removable iilte; screen disposed betwecn said inner and outer panel portions, and means for circulating air through said drum and through said door.

taining drum mounted for rotation within said housing about a horizontal axis,` said drum having an open end through which articles may be placed in said drum and removed therefrom, the other edoorIlissupporicd a peripheral flange, said panel portions each havlng openings therein through which air may pass said peripheral flange including a cylindrical shoulder portion, a slot in said cylindrical shoulder portion extending approximately' half way therearound, and a screen disposed in said slot ing an open end through which articles may be placed in said drum and removed therefrom the other end of said drum also having an opening therein through which air may circulate, means for rotating said drum, and a door mounted on `said housing and disposed opposite said first open end of said drum, said door having inner and outer panel portions spaced from each other and secured together by a peripheral flange, said panel portions each having openings therein through which air may pass said peripheral flange including a cylindrical shoulder portion, a slot in said cylindrical shoulder portion extending approximately half way therearound, anda disk-shaped screen of slightly smaller diameter thanV the diameter of said shoulder portion disposed in said slot between said inner and outer panel portions, said screen including a flange portion extending approximately half way therearound and slightly wider in transverse cross-section than said slot in said shoulder portion, whereby said screen is supported by reason of said flange portion resting on said sohulder, and means for circulating air through said drum and through said door.

4. A combination lint catcher and clothes drier door assembly comprising a door having inner and outer panel portions, each panel portion having a plurality of openings therein, said door including a generally cylindrical connecting flange between the inner and outer panel portions, said connecting flange having a peripheralv extend- 6 portion extending peripherally around the edge thereof for substantially 180, said shoulder portion being arranged to be seated on said connecting flange along the opening defining edges thereof thereby to provide a seat for said screen on said connecting flange.

6. A combination lint catcher and clothes drier door assembly comprising a door having .inner and outer panel portions, said inner panel portion having a plurality of' openings therein and said outer panel portion having a plurality of between said inner and outer panel portions, said louvres, said door including a generally cylindrical connecting nange between said inner and outer panel portions, said connecting flange havlng a peripherally extending slot in the top thereof extending substantially half way around, a screen member between said inner and outer panel portions, said screen member having a shoulder portion extending peripherally around the edge thereof for substantially 180, said shoulder portion being arranged to be seated on said connecting flange along the opening defining edges thereof thereby to provide a seat for said screen on said connecting flange, and means on said door opposite said slot in said connecting flange for releasablyl securing the lower end of said screen.

7. A combination lint catcher and clothes drier door assembly comprising a door having inner ing slot therein, a screen member between said inner and outer panel portions, said screen member having a shoulder portion extending peripherally around for approximately 180, said shoulderl portion providing a seat for said screen on laid connecting flange and also providing a dii'- ferent portion for quickly removing said screen.

5. A combination lint catcher and clothes drier door' assembly comprising a door having inner and outer panel perdona-said innerpanel portion having a plurality of openings ytherein and said outer panel portion having a plurality of louvres, said door including a generally cylindrieal connecting flange between said inner and cuter panel portions. said connecting. flange having a peripherally extending slot in the top thereo! extending substantially half way around, a menmember between said inner and outer panel portions, laid screen member having a shoulder and outer panel portions, said inner panel portion having a plurality of openings therein and said outer panel portion having a plurality of louvres, said door including a generally cylindrical connecting flange between said inner and outer panel portions, said connecting flange hav- 'ing a peripherally extending slot in the top thereof extending substantially half way around, a screen member between said inner and outer panel portions, said screen member having a vshoulder portion extending peripherally around the edge thereof for substantially said shoulder portion being arranged to be seated on said connecting flange along the opening defining edges thereof thereby to provide a seat for said screen on said connecting flange, and a spring finger mounted on said door for releasably grasping said screen opposite to where said shoulder portion is seated on said connecting flange.

PETER EDUARD GELDHOF.

REFERENCES CITED the Jan. 18. 1911' 

